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Dear Friends,
The past fortnight has been an exceptionally busy time in Lebedyn. The ongoing conflict continues to escalate, bringing with it increased military activity. The weekend prior to the autumn camp, the Sumy region suffered unprecedented attacks, which severely damaged much of the county’s rail infrastructure and most of its power stations. As depicted in the photographs below, Sumy railway station was particularly badly hit, resulting in the tragic loss of eleven lives, four of whom were children.
Despite significant challenges and extended power outages over the weekend, the decision was taken to proceed with the planned autumn camp. This proved to be an answer to prayer, as power was available every day during the camp, from Monday through to Friday, even whilst the rest of the town remained without electricity. This allowed the week’s activities to continue unaffected.
The camp primarily welcomed children who were refugees, orphaned, or from military families. Attendance fluctuated slightly each day, but on average, more than sixty children participated. Many of these children arrived subdued, frightened, and confused, their nights disturbed by drones overhead.
However, during the daytime, they found comfort and safety in each other’s company at the camp centre. Each child has been impacted by the trauma of war in some way, with the pain and burden often visible on their faces and in their behaviour. Despite this, the children thoroughly enjoyed the camp, listened attentively to the stories shared, and delighted in the games and fun provided. By the end of the week, they were reluctant for it to end and were visibly happy.
On the final day, each child was given a small gift bag of sweets to take home. Parents, guardians, and the children themselves were invited to attend the closing afternoon to see and hear about the activities from the week.
During this time, one woman approached Bohdan in tears to share her own story: her husband and eldest son were fighting on the frontline, while her youngest son had attended the camp. She expressed her deep gratitude, explaining that her son’s behaviour had improved noticeably during the week and thanking the organisers for remembering and caring for families with loved ones serving in the military. Remarkably, whilst she was speaking, her husband managed to call and also conveyed his thanks to Bohdan for everything being done. We are thankful for your continued support and prayers for this week, and further stories will be shared in the coming weeks.
Here is a link to a video with highlights from the camp week – Enjoy!
This week, Pastor Andrew has started serving in a full-time role at the church taking over from Pastor Sergey. Sergey is introducing him to various contacts and members, and Andrew has been actively visiting church members to become better acquainted. This added support has already eased Bohdan’s workload, enabling him to focus more fully on advancing the overall ministry.
In other positive news, a house has been found for Andrew, Veronica, and their family, conveniently located right next to the church and Centre. The seller, needing to relocate to Poltava for work, reduced the price significantly and was delighted when Andrew’s family visited. Bohdan accompanied them and shared details about the nearby ministry where they work. The seller requested a Bible and, in a subsequent meeting, asked whether they would accompany him to Poltava to introduce him to a church there. He has kindly agreed to let Andrew and his family move in before the sale completes to ease their transition.
On Tuesday, the long-awaited aid shipment arrived. Unfortunately, it did not include food supplies, so efforts will be made to purchase additional food bags for distribution to families in need. The team’s immediate focus is to distribute the aid and clear the venue in preparation for Christmas activities. Plans are underway to do as much as is safely possible during the festive season.
The team is brimming with ideas to support as many children and families as possible, aiming to create a joyful time for all. The intention is to hold additional camps and special events to share the Christmas story of hope and peace, and to bring happiness to children by providing presents that would otherwise be out of reach.
All other work is continuing at the Centre. Services for the elderly and refugees continue, with growing attendance, and homegroups have nearly doubled in size since the restart in September. Children’s and youth clubs happen all over the weekend, so please pray for safety as these young people get together.
Thank you for standing with us during these difficult days. There is much work to do on a daily basis in reaching out to those in need, but knowing you are supporting both in prayer and financially brings much comfort.
Every blessing
Peter Martin
Founding Director of Hope Lebedyn
